Faten Hamama, Egyptian film icon, dies aged 83
Egyptian actress Faten Hamama, an Arab film icon and Omar Sharif’s former wife, died Saturday at the age of 83, their son Tarek Sharif told AFP.
Hamama, who was less than 10 when she made her screen debut, appeared in almost 100 films and worked with masters of Egypt’s massive film industry, including Youssef Chahine.
She often starred with Omar Sharif. Born a Christian, he converted to Islam to marry Hamama and described her as the only love of his life.
The couple appeared together in the 1961 movie “River of Love” based on Leo Tolstoy’s “Anna Karenina.”
“The Lady of the Arabic screen,” as she was known, suffered “a sudden health problem which led to her death,” Egypt’s official news agency MENA reported.